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I shall post videos, graphs, news stories, and other material there. We shall use some of this material in class, and you may review the rest at your convenience. You will all receive invitations to post to the blog. (Please let me know if you do not get such an invitation.) I encourage you to use the blog in these ways:
To post questions or comments about the readings before we discuss them in class;
To follow up on class discussions with additional comments or questions.
To post relevant news items or videos.

There are only two major limitations: no coarse language, and no derogatory comments about people at the Claremont Colleges.


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Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Political Deals II

For next week, Davidson, ch. 10. 

Student hours tomorrow by appointment only.

Reviewing research sources

Crisis and Scandal as a Prod to Action


Public Lands Case Study



 Image result for public lands forests map


A couple of quotations about Congress and life in general:
  • "At some point somebody has to decide, let's do it the old-fashioned way, which is `one thing I hate for one thing I love.'" (Lawrence, p. 39)
  • "Here's a list of what we have to have. Here's a list of the ones we really, really hate. Here's a list of `if you put this language on page 4 we could swallow it.' And then you work that list." (Lawrence, pp. 40-41).


    Suspension of the rules gets around germaneness issues.

    More recent examples:


    The Dairy Cliff:


    SIMULATION




    The 2014 farm bill and the "dairy cliff" penalty default

    Monday, February 26, 2024

    Simulation Roles 2024

     Judiciary

     

    Republicans       

     

    Graham (SC) Scott Palmer     

    Cornyn (TX) ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Richard Cordero  

    Cruz  (TX)   Lewis White           

    Tillis (NC)   Lauren Fue         

    Blackburn (TN) Angelique Rivanis   

    McConnell (KY)* ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Richa Parikh

     

    Democrats

     

    Durbin (IL) Sohani Hossain   

    Booker (NJ) Eileen Kim

    Klobuchar (MN) Johnny Ellsworth   

    Schumer (NY)*  ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Michael Gadinis      

    (plus committee proxy)

     

    Homeland Security

     

    Paul (KY)    Sonja Woolley                

    Lankford (OK)  Henry Otte    

    Romney (UT)   Adarsh Srinivasan             

    Scott (FL)    Clare Grammig                   

    Hawley (MO) Natalie Chen    

     

    Peters (MI) George Ashford

    Hassan (NH) Nicole  Jonassen 

    Sinema (AZ) Ryan Lenney  

    Rosen (NV) David Walker  

     

    Art of the Political Deal I

    Simulation roles

    End around 12:10 for mtg.

    Conditions for Deliberative Negotiation (Lawrence, p. 14)

    • Acceptable sources of information
    • Repeated interactions 
    • Penalty defaults (shutdown looms IRL)
    • Privacy



    Crisis and Scandal as a Prod to Action




    Sanders and McCain find a deal

    Bernie Sanders and John McCain

    Policy Windows and  The Issue-Attention Cycle


    "The tide in the affairs of men does not remain at flood -- it ebbs. We may cry out desperately for time to pause in her passage, but time is adamant to every plea and rushes on. Over the bleached bones and jumbled residues of numerous civilizations are written the pathetic words, `Too late.'" -- Martin Luther King, Jr.



    Image result for issue-attention cycle


    Public Lands Case Study


     Image result for public lands forests map


    A couple of quotations about Congress and life in general:
    • "At some point somebody has to decide, let's do it the old-fashioned way, which is `one thing I hate for one thing I love.'" (Lawrence, p. 39)
    • "Here's a list of what we have to have. Here's a list of the ones we really, really hate. Here's a list of `if you put this language on page 4 we could swallow it.' And then you work that list." (Lawrence, pp. 40-41).





      The 2014 farm bill and the "dairy cliff" penalty default (Lawrence, p. 51)


      Wednesday, February 21, 2024

      Decisions and Interest Groups

      For Monday, read Lawrence, all (it is a short, easy-to-read book) and bring it to class.

      On Monday, we shall do role selection.  If you cannot make it to class, ask someone to represent you.

      On Wednesday, we shall have a guest speaker who will discuss legislative bargaining.

      For your papers, do NOT worry about first and second readings.  Focus on key status steps (committee action, rules, floor votes) and patterns of support and opposition.

      Foreign lobbying (pp. 382-83)

      Russian influence in the news  DOJ: "He is actively peddling new lies that could impact U.S. elections after meeting with Russian intelligence officials in November."

      Other covert means:

      Overt means:

      Interest group ratings (375-76)

      Monday, February 19, 2024

      Congressional Decisions

       For Wednesday, Davidson, ch. 13.

      Questions on paper?  Comments on papers:  SW= page numbers in Strunk and White.

      The winners: Judiciary and Homeland Security.  In our simulated Senate, Reps are in the majority. McConnell and Schumer are not on Judiciary IRL, but I added them for simulation purposes.

      Judiciary

      Republicans        Democrats

      Graham (SC)       Durbin (IL)
      Cornyn (TX)       Booker (NJ)
      Cruz  (TX)          Klobuchar (MN)
      Tillis (NC)          Schumer (NY)* (plus committee proxy)
      Blackburn (TN)
      McConnell (KY)*

      Homeland Security

      Paul (KY)                    Peters (MI)
      Lankford (OK)            Hassan (NH)
      Romney (UT)              Sinema (AZ)
      Scott (FL)                    Rosen (NV)
      Hawley (MO)

      Reviewing Variations of Lawmaking
      Vote-a-Rama
      Rule XIV of the Senate:
      The Senate’s standing committees play an essential part in the legislative process, as they select the small percentage of the bills introduced each Congress that, in their judgment, deserve the attention of the Senate as a whole, and as they recommend amendments to these bills based on their expert knowledge and experience. Most bills are routinely referred to the committee with appropriate jurisdiction as soon as they are introduced. However, paragraph 4 of Rule XIV permits a Senator to bypass a committee referral and have the bill placed directly on the Calendar of Business, with exactly the same formal status the bill would have if it had been considered and reported by a Senate committee.

      Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I understand that there is a bill at the desk, and I ask for its first reading.

      The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will read the bill by title for the first time.

      The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

      A bill (S. 1035) to extend authority relating to roving surveillance, access to business records, and individual terrorists as agents of foreign powers under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 and for other purposes.

      Mr. MCCONNELL. I now ask for a second reading and, in order to place the bill on the calendar under the provisions of rule XIV, I object to my own request.

      The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection having been heard, the bill will be read for the second time on the next legislative day.2

      Hotlining -- a 2019 example
      Earmarking and Phonemarking
      BTU'd
      Alternative to conference: "message between houses" or Ping-ponging



      Individual Decisions
      Specialization and the importance of biography (Davidson, p. 247)

      Timing


      Party Unity (Davidson p. 256). TO ANALYZE A ROLL-CALL VOTE, LOOK AT THE EXCEPTIONS: THE MEMBERS WHO BROKE PARTY RANKS.  Marshall Bessey thesis on the impeachment Republicans 

      From Roll Call:

       




      DO NOT TRY TO REDUCE ROLL CALL VOTES TO CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS. Consider primary and general election constituencies.


      History and DW-Nominate (Davidson 263)




      This measurement is extremely influential in political science. It is also extremely flawed.

      Bargaining and cues


      Cosponsorship and Dear Colleague

      Wednesday, February 14, 2024

      NYT article "How Congress Could Bypass Republican Opposition to Funding Ukraine:


      This article brought up another interesting legislative process we haven't covered: the discharge petition. However, as stated in the article, neither party wants this to happen regularly, and it is an "arduous and time-consuming process that has rarely seen success in recent decades."

      Legislative Process



      Simulation issues and committees?

      For next Tuesday, Davidson, ch. 9

      Committee work

      • Open, Closed, Structured rules
      • Motion to proceed to consider: A motion in the Senate, which, if agreed to by a majority of those present and voting, brings a measure (e.g., bill) or matter (e.g., nomination) before the chamber for consideration. Often referred to simply as a “motion to proceed.”
      • Motion to recommit in the House
      • Filibuster and flip-flops

      The Basic Amendment Tree, Senate Version 

      A CRS report on Senate amendments:
      Senate precedents set out three principles of precedence among amendments that are directed to the same text: 
      1. A second-degree amendment has precedence over a first-degree amendment;
      2. A motion to insert and a motion to strike out and insert have precedence over a motion to strike out; and
      3. A perfecting amendment (and an amendment to it) has precedence over a substitute amendment (and an amendment to it). 
      The first of these principles is axiomatic. A second-degree amendment is an amendment to a first degree amendment, and it must be offered while the first-degree amendment is pending—that is, after the first-degree amendment has been offered but before the Senate has disposed of it. The Senate also acts on an amendment to a first-degree amendment before it acts on the first-degree amendment itself. So this principle conforms to Senate practice under both meanings of precedence.
      It may be helpful in understanding the second two principles to think about decisions the Senate needs to make about a text. Changing the text of an amendment, through a second-degree amendment, could “cure” a problem Senators may have had with the amendment’s original language. That could obviate the need to strike out the text 

      Senate Procedure and Rule XIV  "I object to my own request"
      Therefore, through objection, a bill after two readings is prevented from being referred to committee and is placed directly on the Senate’s Calendar of Business. It is usually the majority leader (or a Senator acting in the majority leader’s stead), acting on his own or at the request of any other Senator, who objects to “further proceeding”—committee referral—on a measure.


      How Mitch filled the tree 

      Just prior to Senate approval of S.Res. 27, the majority and minority leaders engaged in a colloquy on the floor to share additional information regarding their intentions for floor operations in the 117th Congress. ... The colloquy concerned two Senate practices that have become more common in recent Congresses. First, it has become common for the majority leader to “fill the amendment tree,” a process that temporarily blocks other Senators from offering amendments, except by unanimous consent. ... Regarding the amendment process, the majority leader announced in the colloquy: "I am a strong supporter of the right of Senators to offer amendments and commit to increase
      dramatically the number of Member-initiated amendments offered in the 117thCongress. I am also opposed to limiting amendments by “filling the tree” unless dilatory measures
      prevent the Senate from taking action and leave no alternative."
       
        Other processes


        Monday, February 12, 2024

        Bills and Committees

        Stylistic comments

        For next time, Davidson, ch. 8

        Simulation committees?

        • How members end up on committees
          • "Steering committees" in House & Senate (Davidson 195 of 18th ed.p p. 180 of 19th ed)
          • Speaker-appointed House committees: Rules, House Administration, Intelligence
          • Seniority and other criteria
        • Removals;  The case of Ilhan Omar
        • House and Senate jurisdictions are not quite the same.



        LEGISLATION REALLY CAN PASS 

        Also see 2019 public lands bill.  

        Congress.gov record of the bill

        We shall read Jill Lawrence's account of a similar bill from a few years ago.


        USA PATRIOT Act:  “Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism

        Second Assignment, Spring 2024

         CHOOSE ONE:

        1. Pick any bill from the 117th or 118th Congress. Explain its fate. Instead of giving a mere chronology, tell why the measure moved or stalled. What had happened to previous versions? Which groups or blocs backed and fought it?  Did the administration take a position? Which strategies and tactics did its friends and foes use? Even if it failed or stalled, did it prompt the passage of a similar measure in a different form? Look at parliamentary strategies, major amendments, and roll calls. Again, you should explain the outcome, not just describe the process.  Some possible topics:

        118th Congress

        117th Congress


        2. Pick pending legislation that has not yet passed either house. Write a memo to its prime sponsor detailing a plausible strategy for securing its passage at least in one chamber. In your answer, consider all phases of the legislative process and take account of the influence of interest groups and the administration. And of course, remember the tight partisan balance in each chamber.

        Get background from a source such as CQ Magazine where you may find the partisan breakdown of roll-call votes. 

        Other possible sources include:
        -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

        • Essays should be typed, double-spaced, and no more than five pages long. I will not read past the fifth page. 
        • Submit papers as Word documents, not pdfs or Google docs.
        • Cite your sources with endnotes in standard Turabian format. Endnote pages do not count against the page limit.
        • Misrepresenting AI-generated content as your own work is plagiarism and will result in severe consequences.
        • Watch your spelling, grammar, diction, and punctuation. Errors will count against you  -- especially errors that I have noted on previous papers. Return essays (again, as Word documents, not pdfs) to the Sakai dropbox by 11:59 PM, Friday, March 1. I reserve the right to dock papers will one gradepoint for one day’s lateness, a full letter grade after that.

        Sunday, February 11, 2024

        Kennedy Super Bowl Ad!!!???!!!

         The Hill article

        I only watched 10 percent of the Super Bowl, and I was very caught off guard by this $7 million ad for RFK! I also know this isn't strictly Congress-related, but I thought it would be amusing for the group. 

        Bootleg version of the ad: https://youtube.com/shorts/80Z48p9_HXA?si=iBMFkYzGiHdTTy4h

        Wednesday, February 7, 2024

        Parties and Leadership II



        • For Monday, Davidson, ch. 7.  Next assignment will involve explaining the fate of a bill.
        • Start thinking about which two committees you want to simulate.

        Mark Meadows anecdote -- why is Meadows still in the news?

        What is leadership?  What is power?

        • Transactional v. transformative
        • Sources of power
          • Knowledge of policy and procedure
          • Understanding of what followers want
          • Money
          • Reputation:  fear and respect
          • Influence on public opinion

        So why did Kevin McCarthy fail? Michael Tomasky:

        McCarthy’s pulverizing failure as a legislative leader stems from two truths: One, he cared little about policy; two, his word was no good. He’d say anything to anyone. If you’ve read enough political biographies, you know that “he was always as good as his word” is a common form of high praise that can be delivered across partisan lines. McCarthy was as useless and malleable as his word.

        Narrow majorities require high levels of unity.


        LBJ AND LEGISLATIVE LEADERSHIP

        The Johnson Network




        Image result for johnson treatment fortas



        Image result for johnson theodore green






        The inside game and the outside game:  in LBJ's time in the Senate, the outside game scarcely counted.  

        Gingrich and C-SPAN start to change things. 


        • How did Boehner lead the fight against the House Bank?  (He had help.)
        • How did Bachmann turn the tables?


        • Years later, John Spratt, a South Carolina congressman who voted against her at the time, sheepishly told me, “I couldn’t quite see her as whip, because you need to be kind of tough to be whip, and I estimated her differently. I just didn’t put two and two together.”
        • Pelosi’s reign was successful because she understood the will of her caucus rather than bending it to hers.
        • Boehner's anecdote:  how did she depose Dingell as chair of Energy and Commerce? 


        Monday, February 5, 2024

        Parties and Leadership I

        Americans hate Congress but like their own Members.

         For Wednesday, we shall discuss the history of parties and leadership.  Read the Boehner excerpt on Sakai. (Note the dialog box on p. 37)

        Hill leadership

        Leadership Activities

        Edmund Burke:
         In all bodies, those who will lead, must also, in a considerable degree, follow. They must conform their propositions to the taste, talent, and disposition, of those whom they wish to conduct: therefore, if an assembly is viciously or feebly composed in a very great part of it, nothing but such a supreme degree of virtue as very rarely appears in the world, and for that reason cannot enter into calculation, will prevent the men of talent disseminated through it from becoming only the expert instruments of absurd projects!

        Speakership elections 

        McCarthy concessions (Davidson 19th ed., 135-138).

        More on Wednesday about McCarthy's skill set.

        After compromising with Democrats, McCarthy fell to MTV change that he had accepted.

        And then came Mike Johnson





        Member Organizations

        Informal Groups



        Note:  even majorities of the president's party may split with the administration agenda.  See Democrats on trade in 1993 and 2014.


        Blog Archive